Preoperative lateral lymph node features and impact on local recurrence after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and total mesorectal excision for locally advanced rectal cancer: results from a multicentre international cohort study.

AIM: Locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) is commonly treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) and total mesorectal excision (TME) to reduce local recurrence (LR) and improve survival. However, LR, particularly associated with lateral lymph node (LLN) involvement, remains a concern. The aim of this study was to investigate preoperative factors associated with LLN involvement and their impact on LR rates in LARC patients undergoing nCRT and curative surgery. METHOD: This multicentre retrospective study, including four academic high-volume institutions, involved 301 consecutive adult LARC patients treated with nCRT and curative surgery between January 2014 and December 2019 who did not undergo lateral lymph node dissection (LLND). Baseline and restaging pelvic MRIs were evaluated for suspicious LLNs based on institutional criteria. Patients were divided into two groups: cLLN+ (positive nodes) and cLLN- (no suspicious nodes). Primary outcome measures were LR and lateral local recurrence (LLR) rates at 3 years. RESULTS: Among the cohort, 15.9% had suspicious LLNs on baseline MRI, and 9.3% had abnormal LLNs on restaging MRI. At 3 years, LR and LLR rates were 4.0% and 1.0%, respectively. Ten out of 12 (83.3%) patients with LR showed no suspicious LLNs at the baseline MRI. Abnormal LLNs on MRI were not independent risk factors for LR, distant recurrence or disease-free survival. CONCLUSION: Abnormal LLNs on baseline and restaging MRI assessment did not impact LR and LLR rates in this cohort of patients with LARC submitted to nCRT and curative TME surgery.

Native Nephrectomy in Patients With Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Evaluated for Kidney Transplantation.

Native nephrectomy (NN) in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is indicated in cases of recurrent urinary tract infections and hematuria, neoplastic degeneration, and encumbrance. Timing, indication, and surgical approach of NN depends on the symptoms or policy of the center. The aim of our study is to evaluate our experience. In our retrospective study, we included 130 patients with a diagnosis of ADPKD from 530 patients evaluated for renal transplantation from 2011 to 2017. We analyzed the etiologic indication, the timing, and the complications of NN. In our cohort, 53 patients underwent open NN, 85% pre-kidney transplantation (KT), 13% post-KT, and only 1 case simultaneous with KT. In the pre-KT group, indications included: major indication was encumbrance in the. In the post-KT group, the major indication was infection followed by encumbrance, which developed after KT. Complications were: 3 cases of bleeding (1 required relaparotomy, 2 evolved into hematoma and radiological derange); 1 iatrogenic iliac artery injury, which was contextually repaired, and 5 cases of incisional hernia. At 35 ± 7.2 months follow-up, patients' survival was 96%; 1 patient died at the induction of anesthesia and 1 patient from sepsis after double NN and removal of nonfunctional transplanted kidney. NN is not without complications and should be performed when clearly indicated. In our experience, we preferred to perform NN before KT.